L.A. Noire

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Rockstar Games, developers of the Grand Theft Auto series, and Team Bondi have collaborated to release this ambitious and fairly risky new title, L.A Noire. The game is already available in both Europe and North America for just the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 so Nintendo Wii owners may carry on shadow boxing.

I call this title risky because it is not what typical Rockstar Game fans are used to; what gives Rockstar Games their uniqueness is the ability to roam freely around the streets of wherever the game is based, while mugging and murdering random(and most of the time innocent) bystanders, hijacking cars off unsuspecting victims and basically just being a menace to society. In L.A. Noire, the player takes the role of Cole Phelps, an LAPD detective in the 1940s. During this post-war period, crime in the city of Angels was at its peak so you should already be getting an idea of what the game involves. Yes folks! You’ll be playing as the good guy. Although you will still be given the freedom to explore 1947 Los Angeles, you can’t assault innocent civilians or steal their cars. The game still has many other features to keep you entertained so don’t be discouraged.

The main focus of L.A Noire is on the detective aspect of the game. Cole Phelps rises through the ranks of patrolman, traffic detective, homicide, vice and arson investigator. There are 21 cases in total which are divided among those crime categories. Where L.A. Noire establishes its distinction is with the interrogation of suspects. This game uses actual actors rather than animations and employs relatively new technology known as MotionScan. 32 cameras are positioned at several angles surrounding the actor so as to capture the slightest telltale expressions, be it a nervous eye-twitch or gulp. This feature gives the game an incredibly realistic feeling. I asked a dedicated female gamer, Moyo Akinluyi, what she thought about this and she replied: ‘It felt like I was there…life no longer felt real’. The key to progressing in the game is in reading your suspects correctly and using various clues you have found to corner them. If this is done correctly, the cases becomes easier to solve.

Note the detail created by her jaw movement. Clue? (Screenshot from IGN.com)

If you’re starting to get deterred by the seemingly excessive brain work involved in L.A. Noire, don’t worry because that’s not all there is to it. The game also entails the standard car chases, pursuit of criminals and shootouts. Also, for those gamers who are obsessed with 100% completion, there are several extra crime cases to tackle. The main downside to L.A. Noire is that it can sometimes feel a bit repetitive as you go about most of the cases in the same manner and on many occasions you would know what to expect. Other than that, L.A. Noire is a successful venture for RockStar Games.

Have you played L.A. Noire? What did you think about it? Please leave any comments below.

Demolu Dabiri

Demolu Dabiri is a freshman doing the Liberal Studies Program at New York University. His curiosity is piqued by anything even slightly technological but gaming is his forté. If you want to contact me about anything game/technology related or just say hi: Tweet me @aydabiri or find me on Facebook.

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One Comment on “L.A. Noire

  1. Nice review, does this game have any playstation move or kinect compatibility?

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